Investigation and classification of low-noise concrete roads

The noise emission performance of concrete roads has been a subject of thorough investigations in Austria in recent years. This focus is due to the predominance of concrete road surfaces in the Austrian high-level road network and to the long and successful tradition of using exposed aggregate cement concrete (EACC) road surfaces. The author has been involved in several recent research activities focusing on the parameters influencing road traffic noise emission from concrete roads and their long-term behaviour. Moreover, the emission values used for noise propagation computations in Austria, which are therefore important for noise mitigation planning. This was also based on experimental work and analyses carried out by AIT and other institutes in cooperation with the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology and the Research Institute of the Austrian Cement Industry. The results show the importance of careful construction and treatment of EACC surfaces to achieve low noise emission and to maintain it over a long period of time. The proposed communication will cover both the scientific insights gained and outline a possible future strategy for noise classification of concrete surfaces to facilitate their use as a noise abatement measure.